Reversed and Flipped
by VivVixi74
Summary: Can Darcy handle his fated Liz if she was more like him than he'd like to admit? Can two stubborn, successful people find love in a reversed and flipped universe?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Self-Reflective Powerhouse

Every day, Liz woke up feeling herself. She had fallen asleep reading one of her projects and the wine bottle on her bedside tabletop proved it. She yawned once and was out of bed with one swift motion with her long legs. With one press on the power button, her Spotify playlist blasted a pop song that jolted her awake while her strong cup of italian roast started the grinding and brewing process.

She walked into her shower, indulged in the sweet smell of her conditioner before shampoo that made her curls soft to the touch and sighed a happy sigh. It was the simple things, she told herself, that put a smile on her face. She finished with her body wash that smelled of summer oceans and stepped out onto her perfectly padded bath mat.

Wrapping a towel around herself and slightly drying her curls, she brushed her teeth and looked into the mirror. It's true, she had to admit. There was a lovely irony to the reflection that stared back. Every day, she waltzed into the publishing company that she worked for and scaled the stories that she would read most nights. She was competent at her job, to say the least. She knew within the first chapter on whether a story had potential or not. She could almost smell the possibility of a best seller before being fully acquainted with her characters. She was wicked at her job and everyone knew it. It was the reason why she was the only woman on the floor making just as much as the men.

Now, you may ask. What was so ironic about her reflection?

Well, every day she would go into her office and reflect upon the novels she had read the night before. Most had an inevitable trend. It was always a steamy romance about the mousy, girl-next-door type of woman who had snagged the attentions of a cowboy, vampire, hot shot millionaire, so on. Every night, she read stories where women like her were the villains and she loved every minute of it.

It was ironic because Liz was anything but the girl-next-door. She wasn't the pretty blonde and yet she wasn't the mousy brunette. Her brown curls fell on her shoulders while she worked and sometimes it was wound up in a tight bun to keep out of her eyes. Her legs were to die for, and her custom fitted suits were well worth their price. You would have expected her to be the stereotypical bitch, and yet she was anything but.

The truth is that Liz was a creature to be examined over a lifetime. There were many layers to her like an onion, and not many got to experience more than a couple of those layers during their lifetime. She thought about the possible novel from last night as she strode over to the kitchen for breakfast. Italian herbal bread lightly toasted with butter with a side of eggs while she pondered over the main character, Elenore and her possible romance with Elliot. It definitely worked, she thought, the rocky, yet sophisticated love between the city millionaire and college senior. It definitely had potential and she would need to request the full story before making her decision.

She made her decision right then and there as she finished her breakfast. She was definitely lucky enough to be able to eat the carbs she wanted to while keeping her figure. She finished her dishes immediately after and poured the leftover coffee into her stainless tumbler, grabbed her bags, and strode out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

"How was it?" was the first thing out of Charlotte's mouth when Liz walked into the office. 'Of course she's smirking', thought Liz as a smile formed on her lips. "Intriguing, but you already knew that didn't you?"

"I didn't know, but I had a feeling it might be a winner" was the reply as Charlotte closed Liz's office door with her beloved hazelnut latte in her hand. She looked amused as Liz turned her candle warmer to get her work day started. How Liz was able to get around most rules including the building's fire code and turn her office into a comforting, yet intimidating space was beyond her. She had built this office space into something that was uniquely her, just the way she liked it. There really was no one like her and that meant something coming from her best friend since college days.

"I do want a full transcript before I make any major moves", said Liz as she sat up at her chair while powering her laptop. "It definitely has full potential to be a winner and who's the author again?"

"I actually don't know" Charlotte mused as she took another sip. "I'm pretty sure it's a guy, he writes under the pseudonym of C. Moire but no one I've contacted has any idea what it stands for or who it is. His voice was deep from when I called initially, no detectable accent" she said quizzically.

"Good story line and mystery author. That's an interesting combination to work with", was the reply Charlotte got and she knew that Liz wouldn't say any more on the subject. Living with her through their college careers had taught her exactly what Liz was like, and she knew there was nothing more that Liz liked more than a mystery to work out.

"Dinner later?" Liz asked, interrupting Charlotte's thoughts. "Absolutely, and maybe we can go through the rest of the transcript with sushi? If C. Moire is consistent, he'll send it over before the work day is over".

"Sounds great, I've been craving sushi. I'm not interrupting any of your potential dates, am I? It is a Friday after all."

"Oh god, no. I haven't given guys a chance to ask lately, not with all this at work. Not counting your cousin Collins, of course. He is relentless you know."

"I do know, and I'm sorry. I wish he would just listen to me and get the hint but he's always been bad at that".

Charlotte sighed, she knew of course. She had really hit a jackpot with Liz, that much she knew. The rest of Liz's family was…. eccentric to say the least. Eccentric in a 'Luna Lovegood' way. She gave Liz a small smile and walked out of her office to make a phone call to one Mr. Moire and start her morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Meet

"Hello?" answered a firm, yet inquisitive voice when Charlotte called the number for C. Moire. "Hi, this is Charlotte from LL Co. calling you back about the transcript you sent over. Are you available to talk about it a bit more?"

"Oh, of course. I do have time right now, dare I ask if it's positive or negative?"

"I can't really give you a hint of whether we'll take on the project, but I think you definitely have our interest. Do you think we could have the full transcript? We'd like to see the novel through and then give you the feedback. I understand that you have written the draft to the end from what you told me previously?"

"I do, but I also know there might be heavy editing to be done. I can send over the rest to you though, I have a friend in the district who can deliver it before lunch," replied Charles. It was a heavy effort on his part to remain neutral and not express how excited he was over the phone.

"That would be great, that would give us the weekend to get back to you. Who should I be expecting?"

"His name is Darcy. He's goes through my contracts so I figured he should get involved from the start".

"Perfect, I'll be expecting him. I'll also email you when we receive the transcript, just to make sure. Have a good day."

'A mister Darcy huh? Maybe he could shed some light into the mystery writer,' thought Charlotte as she began typing into her laptop. After all, she was always on the run to find more potential hits. LL Co. did not do misses as one of the top firms in New York City. It had been hard enough in the firm's beginning to establish that there was still money in novels and literature. It was what brought her and Liz together in college and still provided a soft side to their respective personalities.

Looking back at it, they really had made a success story out of it. Liz had an aunt and uncle who had backed her unconditionally and agreed to invest into her idea. Studying English literature in college, they had both heard the gossip about how it was not a money making field and you'd have to be beyond lucky to find a decent job after graduation. And yet, the two of them had the ability to write and spot literary talent. So when Edward Gardiner and his wife brought up the idea of investing in their idea for a literature company, they brought in experts and got the ball rolling.

Liz hadn't wanted to be the CEO and neither did Charlotte. They recognized that there was a lot to be learned in the industry and they owned company shares, but left the business part to the business people that Liz's uncle had known for many years. Fast forward to five years since graduation and LL Co. was a hit. No one besides Liz and Charlotte knew what it stood for and it was just as well. It started as a college slang, Lit Literature Co. They knew they would spot fiery stories that would ignite the passion to keep reading in their readers. True to their intentions, they succeeded. The duo trusted the advisers/ bosses and before they knew it, they were rising in the ranks.

A few knew that the duo held company shares, much less that much of the company's standards and ideas were developed by the two mid-level publishers. It was just how they wanted it to be and they would be open to the public about it when they were ready to take over the reins. But for now, they loved the job. They had traveled together globally to meet writers from anywhere and everywhere, which was another reason why their array of literature was so diverse and full of surprises. They were best friends, previous roommates and business partners.

It was no surprise then, that the duo were also a powerhouse to be reckoned with. They were professional, their demeanor demanded admiration and respect at the same time. And yet, Charlotte was there to soothe tensions as the more easy-going one while Liz knew exactly how to push and pull in office politics.

Time passed quickly as Liz and Charlotte worked. Before she knew it, Charlotte heard a knock at her glass door, followed by a tall, dark strangers who made her eyes widen.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fitz Darcy

'Of course Charles would send me on an errand,' thought Fitzwilliam Darcy as he hailed a cab for the address that Charles had given him. "I'll make it up to you with dinner, I promise," Charles had said handing him the large envelope containing the rest of the transcript. "I don't want people to know who I am until we actually get to the publishing stage".

It made perfect sense. Charles had always loved literature but never pursued it because his family called it foolish. Even when everyone knew he had a talent for it. Finally, when his father passed away and handed Charles and his sisters the real estate empire, he was free. He didn't dare to tell his sisters, they were raised just as his parents were. He trusted Fitz and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam with his writings and no one else.

It wasn't an easy start. Not only did Charles have to write, but maintaining the anonymity in America was difficult. There wasn't a soul in England that didn't know about the Bingley's and its massive real estate empire. Bringing his ideas to a publisher in England seemed almost as if it was an act of bribery to Charles. So with an accent coach who thought he was faking an accent to woe an imaginary lady friend, he perfected a New York native accent. There was no hint of Italian in it, just a plain accent for phone calls and so it began. He was in New York to look at development plans of a company he was considering an investment in, so it seemed like the perfect time to launch his writing career.

Fitzwilliam Darcy was amused to say the least. He knew that Charles had talent and he had always admired how open and honest his friend was. He never read romantic novels but he did enjoy the plots that Charles came up with. He hoped that this would be a successful venture for him. Fitz just wasn't a fan of being called upon like an errand boy to deliver packages to a publishing company that seemed to be giving hope to his close friend. He hoped that they would take it and release Charles from the anxiety that was taking over him.

Charles had ran the idea to have the same accent coach help him, but Fitz refused. As an international lawyer traveling between Manhattan and London, it was too much. Not to mention that the literature world would have never known about him. Fitz was well known for his wealthy family in England as well but he made sure that it was well hidden for his legal career. He hid the majority of his wealth when his own parents passed and only made sure that his sister would have access to all her needs until she was of age. Besides, it's not like he needed the inheritance once his career took off. Being a barrister in London for international trade and having a couple of months of the year in New York City fully suited him. Not to mention that it gave him more time to spend with Charles in close proximity.

As he walked into a tall glass building that mirrored his own office, Fitz looked down at the post-it that Charles had handed to him. Find Charlotte in LL Co. it had said. 'It shouldn't be too hard' he thought heading into the elevator and pressing the button for 7th floor.

As he walked up to the secretary to ask about Charlotte, he noted the way she looked at him. He got those looks no matter where he went but it was never something he was interested in. He noted a blush across her cheeks as she pointed to one of the glass doors to the right and promptly left after thanking her. It was flattering, definitely. But Fitz craved more than the usual pretty face. He needed someone who could keep up with his wit and he hadn't found it yet, no matter how much he traveled. Little did he know that his world was about to be turned upside down with this venture of his friend.


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Notes: Hello!

Wow. I don't know where to start but I started writing this story not expecting anything.

I was surprised to see the reviews and the people following this story within the last couple of days to say the least.

Thank you so much for reading this story, I'm just following my gut and I hope that it's good enough :)

I also haven't written anything that wasn't non-fiction and backed by academic journals and research so feel free to leave me any criticisms and reviews.

P&P has been an absolute favorite novel of mine since my childhood and I hope you guys enjoy my twist to it :)

Chapter 5: Enchanté

Fitz Darcy knocked once on Charlotte's pristine glass door and walked in once she had looked up. He didn't notice the similar flush that had graced the secretary's cheek on hers and was very glad.

"I'm" he started, only to have Charlotte finish "Mr. Darcy".

"Mr. Moire told me you'd be dropping by and by the package you're holding, I think you're about to brighten up my afternoon and maybe even my weekend," she said with a grin. "I've said it before to him but we do see potential. I heard that you're doing contracts for him so I'm assuming you're his lawyer?"

"It's Fitzwilliam actually and yes. Lawyer, friend, I've roped the two in. I do know he's very excited that you see potential in it and I hope this proceeds to be mutually beneficial for both parties."

"If you're his friend, does that mean you'd be able to shine a light onto his anonymity or is that classified under your client-lawyer relationship?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that until he chooses to do so himself. I should be going but I do hope that you enjoy the manuscript and give him a ring once you do so," finished Fitz as he headed for the door.

Meanwhile, Liz had finished the coffee from the morning and headed into Charlotte's office to catch up on any new potentials. She was thinking of having a relaxing weekend with her over sushi and finding more about E&E as she officially nicknamed the novel idea. She was lost in her thoughts as she entered Charlotte's office that seeing the tall, dark and handsome presence of Fitzwilliam Darcy as he was trying to leave caught her off guard.

Liz tried and succeeded to get herself back in a couple of seconds with "I'm so sorry".

"I should've knocked first but didn't know anyone would be here." She looked up at him and offered a soft, but reserved smile.

"Not a problem, I should've moved to the other side," replied Fitz in his velvety deep voice. He nodded at both women before heading out with a feeling that he could only describe as butterflies? Who was that gorgeous brunette and was he going to get the chance to talk to her again? He shook his head and dialed his phone to tell Charles about the successful drop off.

"Who was that?" asked Liz promptly as she saw Fitz's shadow disappear.

"Oooh just the messenger that our author sent to deliver this," Charlotte replied with a wicked grin while holding up the full set of manuscripts. "Please don't play coy with me and say that you did not notice the dreamy voice with the heavenly accent and the looks because I'm not buying it."

"I'm not denying any of the above. I think I fell in love with his cologne if anything. What was he like? Any information on the mystery author?"

"Calm, collected and reserved. He's friends with the author and his lawyer but won't give us anything yet. He hopes that we liked it and publish it on behalf of his friend. Speaking of, I can't wait to delve into this. I flagged a couple of potentials and emailed it to you. Can I get started on the Elenore and Elliot romance while you go through my findings and wrap up the day?"

"I'm slightly jealous that you get to read it first but no complaints here. I'll catch up as you keep reading and we are definitely talking over sushi. It's still sushi and not canceling to ask out the handsome Brit right?" asked Liz as she smirked.

"I would say yes if he ever asked but judging by the look he gave you in the couple of seconds where you almost ran him over versus the blank expression he gave me during our two minute talk, I'd say he's more interested in asking you out than me. And I definitely approve so go back and go through my email and I'll pick you up when I'm done to pick up sushi. Would you like Moire's phone number so you can ask about Darcy?"

"Charlotte! No. I would love to keep bumping into him though. Just keep me on the loop and I'll leave you for the steamy romance!"

Charlotte giggled as Liz sauntered out of her office. She had her long, perfectly manicured fingers on the envelope as she prepared for the read. It was the closest she was going to get to a romance judging by her love life for sure.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Weekend Research

Fitzwilliam Darcy did not get butterflies. Ever. At least that's what he kept telling himself as Friday afternoon went on. He couldn't remember the last time someone made him want to get to know a person without so much being said. Curiosity and confusion drove him to actually google the company that could potentially publish Charles' work. He searched up LL Co. easily enough and clicked on the tab for their team. He half hoped that it would've been some temporary intern so he could drop this foolish search, but alas luck was not on his side.

Liz Bennet. Mid-level executive publisher. Underneath Liz's profile was Charlotte's and he knew he was in trouble. He kept telling himself it was useful research as he searched the same Liz Bennet on LinkedIn. Graduated college in English literature and the position at LL. Co was her first position without considering prior internships. 'Impressive,' he thought. He knew how hard it must've been to get hired right after graduation, maintain the job and also get promoted as time went on. Fitz also did the same search for Charlotte and saw that the two profiles were identical. Same school, same jobs. Was it possible that they knew each other more than as colleagues? He definitely thought so.

This also gave him hope. Perhaps it meant that he would get to see her again and maybe not leave her presence so abruptly. There had been something about her, even as she nearly ran him over. If she was surprised as she must've been, her face didn't show it. She was poised but not too cold. Definitely not rude as she had apologized so sincerely. Fitz had made a career in dealing with people in professional capacities and had a knack for reading them. It puzzled him a great deal that he couldn't read her past her physical outlook. It made him want to know more and it was an intimidating thought.

Fitz wrapped up his day to meet Charles for the dinner he owed him for sending him over as the messenger. He didn't have clients scheduled all weekend and it made him very happy. He would finally get to facetime his sister Georgiana who was just starting her college life in the states. She had needed the break from their home country after the incident with Wickham and he fully understood. Now Georgie was back to her cheerful self, enjoying life as a business student and her newfound sorority life. He was truly happy for her and could not wait to see her excitedly talk about her week.

On the other side of the city, Liz and Charlotte were waiting to pick up their sushi plate. It had been their favorite place since they first moved to the city and the chefs personally took over their order whenever they were there.

"It really is a work of art Liz! You rarely see this level of romance in male writing in a stereotypical manner. Our mystery author must be a romantic through and through. Can you imagine being this guy's girlfriend or wife?" gushed Charlotte. "Wow, maybe you should meet the guy before you rush into marriage with the mystery author Charlotte?" laughed Liz. "Or are you officially waiving the physicality of guys now for a perfect romance?"

"Oh let's be real. I'd never waive requirement but you gotta admit that it really is a great story. It's like he understands the minds of men and women. The conflicts are so accurate while the story line is a classic fairy tale without the weaker female. It's perfectly progressive and realistic."

"I agree," said Liz as she was reading through the pages that Charlotte had already gone through. This happened often where one of them would start reading and the other would follow about 10 pages in with one manuscript. They really worked well together and she was glad for it.

"As long as nothing goes terribly wrong, I'm going to give this a go ahead on Monday," Liz concluded. "I absolutely agree with you, it's a modern and progressive novel. We can pair our best editor to work with the mystery author and go from there."

"Speaking of which, I tried to search C. Moire. Nothing came up. It must be his first piece for publication and it would be great to have him with us as a full time author. I also searched up his friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy," said Charlotte noting Liz's eyebrow slightly raising at the mention of Darcy.

"Anything interesting come up for him?"

"Oh only that he's one of the most eligible bachelors in the UK. Apparently he made a name for himself in the legal field and travels a lot between the London office and New York. Not sure why he's single, must either be a down-low player or picky. Or maybe in the closet?"

"You know that we could easily make those lists too once we come out from hiding right? I think it's a bit of an invasion of privacy once you're that public and it's one of the things I'm grateful about keeping the shares and firm ownership private. I can only imagine what they'll say about us once we take over. Unmarried women running a fortune 500 company. Must be a real piece of work," Liz said in a mimicking tone as she rolled her eyes. "As if being a strong women means that you're a heartless bitch."

"Yes, well. It's a curse. Plus, you and I could easily get married by then. You never know."

"I know. It's just that dating hasn't been a priority for a long time. Especially not since George."

"You still think about that? Do you want me to hunt him down and break his nose? Or face?"

"No. It's fine, really. It just had a lasting impact but I'm good to date someone new if the right person came along. I just haven't found him yet, whoever it might be."

As Charlotte proceeded to reassure her that the right person would come along for both of them and asked her about various dating sites, their food came out and they drove to Liz's place for a night of enjoyable work and good wine.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Past and All of its Annoying Residues

Liz and Charlotte had worked into the night. They decided to call it a night around 2am after going through half the book. There were various notes on half the transcript pile fixing up minor things and they had picked out the perfect editor to set C. Moire up with.

As Charlotte got ready for bed in Liz's guestroom, Liz couldn't help but revisit the conversation they had about her past dating life. It was a hard place to go to and she had tried hard for the past couple of years to not think about it.

George Wickham had been a senior when Liz was starting her freshmen year. She had dated her senior prom date in high school and broke up with Brian before college. With only that relationship experience coming into college, she was swept off her feet when George picked her out of the crowd during an elective writing class.

She was young and he was charming. He came from a military family but was invested in the arts. He wasn't a pothead nor an alcoholic, liked coffee and liked her. He would know that it was cheesy but throw Shakespearean lines at her anyway. They worked on a project together which led to him shyly asking her for her number. By second semester, they were fully dating. They were 'that' college campus couple, holding hands, supporting one another and the envy of many.

It was on his graduation that she found out everything he had been hiding. He had a girlfriend back home who had a baby. His baby. He had a girl who looked just like him, barely three years old. His other girlfriend had come up for graduation with his parents as a surprise. It worked out very well for him when Shannon had found Liz holding hands with George with their little girl calling out 'daddy' as she waddled towards him.

She should've seen it coming. The red flags were there. He had always dodged introducing her to his parents and they had arguments about it. She thought that she wasn't good enough or perhaps she was too young and he had insisted that it was because his parents disapproved of his interest in arts or anyone else who was invested in the arts. He told her that they wanted him at West Point and he refused.

Liz was excited and nervous when he had said that his parents would be a graduation and it was a perfect opportunity for her to make a good expression. She had even picked a perfect dress, had a speech prepared about how great he was and how they should be as proud of him as she was. Her world shattered that day when she found it everything had been a lie.

His family was military. But it wasn't the arts they disapproved of. It was the countless girls he was fooling around with in multiple locations, the child out of wedlock, and his disrespect for his girlfriend. The mother of his child.

He paid child support but everything else for Shannon and their child was provided mostly by Shannon's wealthy parents. He reassured Shannon that they'd marry after he graduated all while keeping a forced 'open relationship' with her. He visited his child whenever he could, which was why he was home every other weekend during the school year. He had claimed to Liz that it was a part of the deal he made with his parents for not attending West Point and to prove that he was staying out of trouble. She had always thought it was odd and overprotective of his parents.

It all made sense. He didn't think his girlfriend and daughter would make the graduation because he only told her about his graduation date last minute on purpose and she couldn't work around her own schedule attending classes at community college. They had plans so that he would watch their daughter while she went for her BA after her associate's degree.

Liz ran out of the auditorium when everything came out. She had asked so many questions to George's actual girlfriend and parents without even knowing them. George had stayed silent. Liz could only apologize to Shannon as the tears threatened to pour out of her eyes. She hadn't known. How could she have ever done this if she had?

Shannon had been nice. Nicer than most women would have been in her shoes. She didn't aim anything towards Liz and instead turned the arrows on George. It seemed that there was even more to his deceit and both women were finding out the horrid details at the same time. Shannon had been just as naive, keeping an open relationship that was hard on her. She had been absolutely heartbroken about his 'needs' whenever he chased after other girls but stayed with him because she loved him and their child. He even made 'demands' on what her parents should provide them with because they could afford to do so. Shannon's parents had complied because their daughter loved him and also because they didn't want the shame of their daughter turning into a single parent.

Both women had sacrificed so much for the horrible excuse of a man and his parents were absolutely horrified. They also confronted him about the extra money given to him that was supposed to go towards Shannon and the baby but never did. He had been lying to everyone in his life during spring break, rushing off to Vegas with friends he met while online gambling. Not only did he wreck the hearts of women but he was also in debt. In short, he was a crumbling mess who became undone at his own graduation.

The bastard hadn't even chased after Liz when she ran out. That was it. The massive confrontation followed by silence. They never heard from each other again and she was only too glad for it.

Dating after George took about two years. She had to re-learn how to trust men again and she knew how to be smart. She did her basic research before dates and hadn't felt the need for online dating. And it wasn't like she never dated for the next couple of years following the breakup with George. There was never another breakup that was as bad as George but no one stuck either. It helped that she was held up by the two people she trusted with her heartbreak, Charlotte and her older sister Jane. Charlotte had her back every day while being her roommate and Jane had always made private time to talk to Liz over the phone and in person when they were both home.

'It has definitely been a while,' thought Liz as she headed into bed. She hadn't thought much about seriously dating in about six months but she ended up drifting off to sleep with the image of one Fitzwilliam Darcy.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Sunday Funday

Saturday was great for Liz. She and Charlotte grabbed brunch and managed to finish the transcript. It was unanimous, they were going to go ahead with Moire's writing. She would make the call herself on Monday morning and set a meeting date. Charlotte managed to score a date through her online dating ventures for Saturday night and Liz spent it treating herself to a pint of french vanilla ice cream.

Sunday was spent catching up with Jane. Jane was two years older than her and one of the only ones in her family who maintained their sanity. She had traveled through Europe once she was in college and now had a career as a lawyer. Two years ago they decided to have her as one of the in-house lawyers at LL. Co and her time was split between working for them with their contracts and civil cases at local places in New York that always needed more lawyers.

You'd think that they would see each other more while working at the same firm but they rarely did. They still worked at different sectors of the firm and one was usually traveling while the other was in town. Aside from that, they saw each other while at home for the holidays and that always ended in some form of drama.

Jane was doing great, she had just closed up a case in the area and wanted to grab lunch with her sometime during the week. "I actually have a new author I want to sign as soon as he's okay with it. I don't know how fast he can jump into it but I'm hoping it's this week. Do you think you could do this one with me and stay in the city for a bit?"

"Absolutely. This case I just closed took a lot out of me and I was going to take time off for a bit. I can jump into this and catch up with you and Charlotte. This is exactly what my apartment here was for," gushed Jane happily.

"Great! I can't wait to see you. Just shoot me a text when you're here and I'll buy the celebratory lunch or dinner," replied Liz happily. She smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. It was going to be a good week and she was actually excited for Monday.

Fitz also had an eventful weekend. It consisted of a lecture from Charles. "You did WHAT?" he burst out when Fitz told him about his little 'research'.

"I just did research on a firm that you can be writing for. There's nothing wrong with that," Fitz said as he shrugged with a straight face.

"That sounds more like research to stalk and kill someone. You do realize that right? You've never researched anyone like that, you always have your associates do it for your clients. I want to know what made the great Fitzwilliam Darcy do research on people working at the firm that may or may not sign me," finished Charles as he looked at Fitz incredulously.

"I really think you're overreacting. Not to mention that I'm offended by you thinking I don't do my own research," he huffed as he changed the subject.

"That's not working Fitz. There's something you're not telling me and if you won't tell me, maybe you'll tell Caroline." Charles smirked as Fitz almost choked on the water he was drinking.

"You sister's coming? When? Why?"

"Sisters Fitz. More than one. Both are coming to 'visit' me in the city and check up on the estates here. I couldn't handle Caroline calling and droning on about how useless America is so I let it slip that the market's actually doing quite well. Of course that got her attention and you know she'll take every opportunity to party in a city with Louisa. Seeing you is also a plus Fitz, you know that. I don't know when. She doesn't tell me anything. Just ambushes me."

"I've turned her down more times I can count. I don't know how much more I can take before I hurt her."

"I won't blame you if you do. Not that I understand why she's even interested in you. You're so reserved and gloomy, how she thinks you're everything she wants is beyond me. You're nothing like the guys she hooks up with and yet she wants you to marry her."

"She's still on that fairy tale? Never mind, I don't actually want to know. Just don't make me meet you when you're with her."

"I'll try my best but there's no guarantee with Caroline. You know that. Why can't my sisters be as lovely as Georgie? Nice, normal, sane?"

Fitz could only shrug in response. "I got blessed with Mrs. Reynolds. Georgie and I both did. She really helped Georgie through Wickham's destruction and I'm glad for it."

Charles couldn't help but be angry on the Darcys' behalf at the mention of Wickham. What a pathetic excuse for a man. His character was the inspiration for the antagonist in his novel. Georgie was like a little sister he wished Caroline and Louisa could be and she did not deserve what Wickham did to her.

Charles and Fitz talked about other things here and there. Eventually Fitz left Charles to develop more ideas for future writings. Not many knew it but Fitz was down to earth. He loved cooking, something that Mrs. Reynolds had taught him. It bonded the two in a way while he was little and missing his mother. Mrs. Reynolds really had become a mother to Geogie and Fitz. It was a given to leave the estate in the care of Mrs. Reynolds after Georgie went off to college and have her move in with her husband who gave her a second shot at happiness.

Home was the place Fitz could be himself. Whether it was looking over his cases in peace or cooking, he liked the silence. Work was work. His colleagues thought he was stoic, not that he was protesting. There wasn't much substance to most people and he always needed to do something that mattered with his time. He wasn't interested in women normally, sleeping around wasn't of interest. No matter how many times Caroline Bingley had offered. Was it too much to ask to be surrounded people who didn't hate their jobs or wanted to abuse sex and alcohol they could buy with their money? Apparently it was.

Fitz spent the rest of Sunday reading to catch up on the newest regulations for international contracts and checking up on Georgie. He was certain that he would receive a call from Charlotte on Monday if they found Charles' story worthwhile and hoped that it would happen so he could potentially see the woman who had been plaguing his thoughts all weekend.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Schedules

Monday morning was a buzz for everyone and the coffee buzz was particularly strong for Fitz. He had a restful weekend, by all means he was supposed to have a good night's sleep on Sunday. Unfortunately he was restless and it led to brewing a bold cup of Italian roast for the morning. 'Perhaps a bit too much,' he thought as he stepped into the shower. He tried his best to not think about his dreams and hoped that the cold shower would jolt him into the Monday.

Liz on the other hand was browsing through her closet and looking for the outfit that would match her power mood. She was going to be the one to call C. Moire about the contract and set the meetings. That was bound to set her week off right. She casually sat down with her scrambled eggs with cheese, embracing the homemade food. She rarely had a chance to eat on time these days and definitely relished whenever, whatever she could cook.

Charlotte had a lot to wonder about as she woke up. Saturday night went well enough with her date with Ezra but she couldn't help but wonder if something was missing. He was nice, well educated and funny too. They were able to talk about their work as well as their social lives but Charlotte didn't feel a spark. She hadn't felt the same sort of tingly feeling that kept her flustered around one particular person with any of her past dates. She wondered about what this could really mean for her and the person she felt uneasily comfortable with despite how strange that sounded.

Charles had a rough weekend where he constantly pondered about the upcoming week. Not only was he on edge about his story and a potential book deal, but the idea of his sisters also provided his headache. He could only hope that Fitz and his cousin would help in keeping his sanity.

"Please tell me you're in a chipper mood as opposed to the rest of the office who seem to resemble the walking dead this morning," said Liz as she offered Charlotte her usual cup of hazelnut goodness. Charlotte smiled, "With that coffee in your hand, I'm chipper as can be."

"So? How was your date?"

"Ezra? Oh he was great. Not sure if we're meant to be a couple though. I could see us being friends?" Charlotte offered with a cautious smile.

"Did you come to this conclusion before or after sleeping with him?" Liz asked with a knowing grin.

"Definitely after. Which is why I know that we _definitely_ lack the spark," replied Charlotte and Liz left it at that.

"You still making that call Liz? If C. Moire is anything like us during college, he's probably dying for the feedback."

"On it as soon as I march out of your office and smell my own coffee! I'll let you know what happens as soon as I know," said Liz as she headed for the door.

True to her word, Liz dialed the number for C. Moire once she was settled at her desk. It beeped twice before she heard a deep "hello" from the other line. 'Charlotte was right,' she thought as she introduced herself to the mystery author. She gave him the rundown of the conclusions she and Charlotte had reached and offered to set him up with an editor to work after contracts were drawn up.

To say that Charles was excited was the understatement of the year. He told Liz that he was happy to arrange a meeting as soon as Fitz was available and Liz agreed. They agreed to ask their respective lawyers on their availability in order to set the date.

Fitz heard a faint 'ding' as he typed his client's profile from the morning meeting. He had been asked to negotiate a trade deal for importing cheese and had a bit of research to do. He reached for his phone after seeing Charles' name pop up. It seemed that Liz Bennet herself had given Charles the call which meant that she definitely had a part in this project. He was happy to see that his prediction was right and replied that he was free today if Charles needed him to be. Hell, he could be free all week if it meant he'd be seeing her again.

Liz also texted Jane on her availability after hanging up with C. Moire and was surprised when her sister walked in through the door. "I'm here and I can do whenever as long as you feed me lunch."

"Jane! What are you doing here? You didn't say you'd be here this fast!" cried Liz as she hugged her older sister.

"I thought I might make myself available for whenever you needed me. I'm happy to see you too" smiled Jane.

Liz reached for her phone at the same time that it rang. She picked it up and found that their mystery author had beat her to it. They decided that 2pm following lunch would do for both parties, making it one of the fastest meetings Liz had ever scheduled. The conference room was booked at LL. Co for five and all members were promptly notified. It was there that everything began.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Identities and Connections

Liz was the first one in the meeting room just the way she always was. She double checked that she had all of her documents prepared and proceeded to set the projector up. She and Charlotte were under the impression that C. Moire hadn't done book deals before and wanted to walk through the process with him and Mr. Darcy. Charlotte knew how Liz liked to set things up and purposely stayed a bit longer in her office talking to Jane. Jane was ecstatic that she got her lunch and was fully ready to go.

Fitz had also left his office early to head down to LL. Co. He was supposed to meet Charles there. He had been on the phone with him for about 20 minutes, reasoning with his friend that the fake accent was unnecessary if they wanted to get the contracts done today. Besides, who in the United States would actually care about where they came from? He knew that Charles was nervous but Fitz assured him that there would be a stipulation about keeping the anonymity in the contract.

As he walked down the hall in the direction that the blushing secretary had once again pointed for him, he couldn't help but notice the smell of lavender. There was something else too, maybe a hint of lemon? It wasn't overpowering but it was soothing. He wondered what it was and how it made the whole hallway smell so nice.

When he pushed the door of the meeting room, he saw Liz looking right up at him. "Hello again, you're early," she said as he took a seat right across from her.

"Yeah, I didn't want to be stuck in traffic so I gave myself more time to get here. I take it Charles isn't in yet?"

"Charles? Is that what the C. stands for?"

"Yes, actually. The whole thing is a pen name as you already know but he wants to remain anonymous outside of the publishing process. That's something you'd be able to agree on?"

"I'm sure Jane could answer that better than I could, she's going to be the lawyer assigned from our side. But I don't see why not from our standpoint."

Fitz nodded as he pulled his executive pad out onto the table. He sent a text to Charles letting him know which meeting room they were in as he tried not to look at Liz so much. He blamed the jittery feeling he was getting at the extensive coffee.

Liz was content to sit in silence as she worked on setting various presentations up on the projector that outlined the process. She preferred silence to noise sometimes so it wasn't awkward but he seemed to be doing everything except looking at her, even when he talked to her. 'Is there something on my face?' she thought as she kept setting things up.

As Jane and Charlotte started to head for the meeting room, Charles was frantically running into the building. He had been so nervous about the meeting even though he knew he already had the publisher's approval and didn't think about traffic. He wasn't going to be late but he was cutting it close. It was a good thing that Fitz had texted him the meeting room. As he rushed towards the direction, he didn't see the blonde woman he was almost bumping into until it was too late.

Charlotte was walking next to the wall in the hallway as she was talking and saw Charles rushing down the hall but the thud was heard before she could jolt Jane out of the way. "Ow" was heard from Jane as she stumbled but didn't fall thanks to the arm that caught her fall.

"I am so very sorry," apologized Charles as his face turn red. He wasn't in pain and he was glad that this enabled him to catch the blonde woman he had almost trampled on. "Are you alright?" he asked as Jane looked up into his blue eyes.

"I'm.. I'm fine. Really. You caught me before I completely fell over so thank you. I think it neutralizes bumping into me," Jane said as she offered him a smile and stood up from his arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm an idiot really," Charles said with a sheepish grin. "I was afraid I'll be late to my meeting and I rushed last minute."

"Well you haven't missed it yet and we're going where you are," offered Charlotte with a small smile. "I recognize the voice but not the accent. You are our mystery author, Mr. Moire aren't you?"

Jane noticed that the man got even redder and couldn't help but notice how cute the redhead was in all of his flushed state as he nodded. 'Interesting,' she thought. Who knew that she would run into an attractive novelist on a Monday no less? Her clients were usually women and men in their later years.

Charlotte recognized a moment when she saw one and this was it. She cleared her throat once to catch Jane and Charles' attentions and motioned for the meeting room. "Shall we?" Charles nodded and raised his hand toward the meeting room door, letting Jane and Charlotte enter first.

As soon as Charlotte set foot into the room, another scene made her raise her eyebrows. Liz and Darcy sitting nonchalantly in front of each other and yet there was nothing casual about it. She could almost see the tension in the silence. 'Really?' she thought. Two couples sharing silent 'moments' in a professional meeting. This ought to be good.

Liz spoke first as soon as everyone was seated. "Alright, I'm assuming that you're our mystery author," she started as she looked at Charles and he nodded. "Charles Bingley actually, so that we're open and honest. I'd like to be addressed by the pen name outside of this room though, if that's okay. And yes, I'm British but that story can wait until after the professional aspect of this meeting?"

"Simple enough, sure. Jane, Charlotte, you know Mr. Bingley's legal representative Mr. Darcy. Charlotte is on this project with me as the publishers, we went through the initial draft together and we'll be the ones to assign you with an editor and keep working on this with you. Jane is our lawyer so she'll be the one working with you Mr. Darcy."

"There's no need for 'Mr. Darcy'. Just call me Fitz and I'm sure Charles would prefer being called that instead of Mr. Bingley," Fitz offered as Charles nodded again.

After the pleasantries, the meeting flowed rather quickly. Charles and Fitz followed the chart, there were a couple of conditions set for the anonymity and the expectation of working on future novels but nothing major. Jane and Fitz agreed to work on a draft together and Liz and Charlotte set a second meeting with Charles and the editor they had in mind for them. It was a long day for everyone but a happy one. Charlotte made Liz and Jane promise an adult version of a 'sleepover', so off they went on their separate ways before meeting up for girl talk.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Hard Masks

As Charles and Fitz left LL. Co, Charles could not stop gushing about Jane. "You're so lucky that all your work and meetings are with Jane, she's absolutely gorgeous and nice too. I almost ran her over but she was incredibly nice about it. She was professional during the meeting and I can tell she's as passionate about law as you are Fitz," he said.

"Yes, Jane is indeed quite pretty. Elegant too. I could tell that you two had a connection during the meeting, you weren't exactly subtle Charles."

"Perhaps not. I sure hope that she likes me enough to say yes on a date when I find the courage to ask her out. What did you think about Liz and Charlotte? You could tell that they're a power duo together and share the same elegance as Jane. I look forward to working with them and the editor."

"Charlotte and Liz were definitely professional. They know what they're doing and I'm glad you're working with them. Their firm checks out, nothing sketchy. As for noticing them, I did notice Liz but I found her a bit colder than Charlotte. Hard exterior maybe, either way I didn't notice any of them the same way you noticed Jane."

Liz honestly didn't know what to think or how to feel. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop, she just happened to be heading that way for her usual coffee stand when Charles and Fitz left. It was her favorite coffee place despite it being a truck. The barista and owner, Chuck made coffee extremely dark, just the way she liked it. It was a heavenly cup of coffee she needed in doing last minute work before wrapping up her long days. She just happened to notice that Charles and Fitz were ahead of her, talking about the meeting that took place and couldn't help but listen in.

She was smiling when Charles spoke of Jane and then her stomach dropped once Fitz started to talk. She knew she was cold but she didn't think that she had been cold during the meeting. She had tried her best to be open, honest and polite. She was also disappointed at herself for feeling a pit in her stomach when Fitz described her as 'barely noticeable'. She had a lot of pride and she was almost ashamed to admit that she had found Fitz attractive and agreeable. Maybe even hoped that the moment shared before the meeting in the conference room had given him the same butterflies it had given her. But at least now she knew why he hadn't looked at her at all. He had concluded that there was nothing special about her and she was more than offended. She was flabbergasted beyond belief. Liz turned around forgetting all about her coffee and headed straight back to her office.

Charles had started to protest at Fitz's words that only described Liz as plain. That woman was everything but plain and Fitz was insane if he truly thought otherwise. He had also thought that given his lack of interest in women who threw themselves at them, perhaps someone like Liz was what Fitz needed. A powerful and successful woman who stood as an equal. It seemed that Charles had been wrong. Or was he?

As their conversation drifted off, both Charles and Fitz were lost in their own thoughts. Perhaps a bit too lost to notice a familiar pair of tall high heels walking away from them as fast as they could.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Future Plans

Liz was fuming. The hardest part about it wasn't the anger or the disappointment but how much she actually cared. So what if she wasn't as gentle as Jane or as pretty and soothing as Charlotte? Who the hell was Fitzwilliam Darcy to call her plain anyways?

Realistically, it's not like he insulted her or anything. He had put Liz and Charlotte on the same level but she was still offended because of how much she had been attracted to him. She wanted to get it together and continue on with her work but found that she couldn't. Instead she was googling Fitzwilliam Darcy and taking in everything she could find on him. She that there was more to just the lawyer Darcy. He came from old money in England, maybe that's what he didn't like about her? Was she too modern, too bold, too assertive? If that was the case, she wasn't about to apologize for who she was. This thought actually calmed her down and put her mind at ease.

She finally wrapped up her day a little later than usual, told the girls that she wanted to relax and take a bath but she was free after. Jane and Charlotte headed off to their places to retrieve stuff needed for a 'sleepover' before heading to Liz's. True to her word, Liz took an hour to soak in her bath once she was home. Different scents had a way of soothing her and she settled on lavender. It was the reason why she had a candle warmer in the office; it put her in a good mood even when she wasn't feeling so great.

When the doorbell rang, she was ready to tell Jane and Charlotte about what she had heard. They had a bottle of chardonnay while Jane blushed at Bingley wanting to ask her out and they reassured Liz that Fitzwilliam Darcy was a prick. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Liz physically or mentally and if he couldn't see that, it was his own damn loss.

Charlotte nodded emphatically as Liz told them the truth about finding him attractive and realizing that she had been rejected in a sense. Something didn't quite sit right as she thought back to her observations during the meeting. There had been tension between Liz and Fitz when they had entered, it wasn't one of disinterest. If it had been, she highly doubted that Fitz would have been stealing glances at Liz as she was engaging mainly with Charles over the publishing process.

Something definitely wasn't right and Charlotte wanted to wait and see what would happen with this story. She had a gut feeling that there was more to it. As Liz wanted to switch subjects, Charlotte asked "So does that mean you're saying yes to our author when he does ask you out?" to Jane.

"It depends on when he asks. I don't think I'd say yes anytime soon so long as I'm working on this with Darcy. I'd like to get to know him with this process and Darcy too really, so I can understand what that whole dick move was before accepting any dates. No matter how charming and cute he was," Jane finished as she looked over at Liz.

"If you like him Jane, please don't turn him down because of me. I'm just glad you work with Darcy and not me. I'd probably be too aggressive with him if I had to work with him and there's no place for it. I do agree that you'll get to know more of Charles as you work with him and Darcy and Charlotte and I will also let you know what he's like as we work with him. He does seem really nice and I could tell he really liked you from the first moment Jane."

Jane blushed as her mind went back to how Charles had caught her earlier. "Darcy and I agreed to meet Wednesday with the initial contract. If we have minor issues to mend, it should be done by that evening. That way, everyone can sign it by Thursday and you two can sit down with Charles and the editor on Friday. That would give him the weekend to work on the editing."

"That sounds like a good schedule of things," agreed Charlotte. They then switched to talking about other projects Liz and Charlotte had their sights set on, followed by the cases that had tired Jane out. Soon enough, they headed off to bed preparing for a busy Tuesday.


	13. Chapter 13

_Sorry about not updating sooner, I had a bit of personal issues to sort out and the writing just got difficult all of the sudden. I hope you enjoy the chapter (:_

Chapter 13: Information

Tuesday went by quickly and by the time Wednesday rolled around, everyone was preoccupied with business and people. Jane and Darcy communicated the details of the contract through email so they thought they shouldn't have much to fix during their actual meet. Darcy was distracted enough with this contract and the one for his firm to not think about Liz Bennet. At least not too much anyways.

He had been lying through his teeth after the meeting on Monday while talking to Charles. The truth is, he had noticed Liz. Maybe a bit too much. She was professional, ambitious and so gorgeous. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt uncomfortable and nervous to talk to a woman, yet there it was. He was truly happy that his friend was quite taken with Jane, she was very pretty. He just hoped that Charles wouldn't rush into it just to get his heart broken again. He was hoping to see what Jane was like through working together and it was going well.

Wednesday morning rolled around and Fitz headed to LL Co. with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was early and it hurt to admit it but he was hoping to get a glimpse of Liz before heading into the meeting room to see Jane. As he headed into the office hallway, he smelled a similar lavender smell that got to him again. Strange, he thought, was someone actually burning candles in their office as they worked?

There was disappointment on his face as he pushed open the glass door. Liz was nowhere to be seen and his plan had failed. Jane greeted him with a nod as he took his seat. "Does someone work with candles around here?" he casually asked. "I smelled a lavender scent the last time and again this morning coming in, I was wondering what it was."

"Oh that!" Jane said with a full smile. "It's Liz's. She drafted her contract when she started with the firm so that she could get away with a candle warmer. Her office is sophisticated and homey at the same time, kind of like her actually. Do you dislike it?"

"No! I mean no. Sorry I didn't mean to shout like that," exclaimed Fitz a bit too loudly. "I don't mind it at all, I just wondered who it was. Is Liz always like that? She gets what she wants?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"Yeah, she does actually. My sister has a way of doing that. But hey, she's good at her job and she knows it. Nothing wrong with that."

Fitz choked on his coffee as he was sipping it. "I'm sorry, did you just say your sister?"

"Oops. I shouldn't have said that. You can't tell anyone, no one in the firm really knows. But yeah, I'm her older sister and it's my biased opinion that she's amazing in professional and personal settings. Speaking of, she'll be in sometime later with what she and Char wants to add. We can get started now though?"

Fitz nodded all while trying to process everything Jane had said. The more he learned about Liz, the more he got sucked into wanting to know more about her. It was driving him absolutely mad.

Char and Liz had also been brainstorming. They had agreed on 15% of the revenue that Charles' book will bring for now and wanted to renegotiate for future novels. Liz almost wanted Char to go in alone and present their ideas to Jane and Fitz but she wasn't about to be a coward in front of the man that already thought so little of her. She wouldn't.

As they prepared to head over, Jane knocked lightly on the office door and stuck her head in.  
"I know you guys were heading this way but I have news. For someone that found you plain, Fitz is very interested in you Liz!"

"I don't even know what to make of that. He's probably getting more reasons to reinforce his already prejudiced opinions," Liz said scoffing as she picked up her files from the desk. She left her office before Jane and Char could keep up with her and strode into the meeting room to see Fitz.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Sizzling Tensions

Charles walked into the conference room and grinned as he saw Fitz typing away at his phone.

"Never stop working, do you?" he teased his friend as he took the seat next to him. Darcy looked up once to nod at him in acknowledgment before looking back down to finish what he was typing. "I rather enjoy my work Charles and we can't all be on the verge of making millions from writing," he continued with a smirk. Darcy pressed send on his final email and set his phone down to look at Charles. "You just missed Jane actually, she went to go get Liz and Charlotte for the meeting," he said noting the tint of pink rising on his friend's cheeks.

"She's pretty great, we settled on a couple of things that we'll get to before printing and signing the copies. You know, before you awkwardly ask about her," continued Fitz as he looked at Charles in amusement.

Charles could only flush in response. He should've seen the teasing coming from his best friend but it was all too true and he'd be lying if he said the thought of seeing Jane again wasn't something he had been looking forward to.

Right on cue, they heard the sound of heels heading towards the door and shared a look and Charles cleared his throat. He noted that Liz entered first with Jane and Charlotte sharing a look between them as they followed. It was look that even he couldn't miss as he was caught staring at Jane. Something was definitely going on without a doubt.

Darcy on the other hand, noticed more from Liz herself than the expressions on Jane and Charlotte's faces. She had elegantly strode into the meeting room with an air of cool confidence but nothing else. He could tell she wasn't showing any warmth or emotion as she nodded towards everyone and took her seat.

Jane took over as everyone took their seats, pointing out the legality of the contract before Liz took over.

"We've decided that since Charles is a new and upcoming author, LL. Co would keep 15% of the revenue and that includes all the costs involved in publishing hard copies and making the online versions. Our stipulation is that this contract will be for the first book you've given us and depending on how that goes, we may increase our intake after that but we're not binding you to anything except the conditions for this book." She gave Charles a little smile as he nodded in understanding before continuing, "The other part of our condition is that Charles is bound to us for future publications in exchange for our low revenue intake. That way, we're ensured that you'll continue working with us and it'll also give us stability in providing you with the people that can really work with you through the processes".

Darcy cleared his throat as Liz finished. "I don't know that it's a very fair negotiation method. Do you do this for every author you publish or is this unique to Charles? I feel that Charles has every right to see how this first book publishes before deciding on whether or not every book following will be handled by LL. Co," he stated as he looked up from his legal pad. He turned to look at Jane before saying directly to her, "I don't think this was something we had discussed, I know this is definitely new to Charles and I, did you know about this beforehand?"

Jane was a bit surprised by Darcy's outburst. "I just found out about it when I went to get Liz and Charlotte," was all she got in before Liz cut her off.

"She's our legal counsel and she didn't make the decision, I did. Charlotte and I agreed that this was a good idea during our talks. And to answer your question, it's half and half. We make decisions that are unique to each situation and the author, we have done the same negotiations with other authors as well as different ones. We thought based on the first book that Charles was thinking of making this into a series or at the very least, publishing other novels in the genre. If that was the wrong assumption to make, I'm sorry about that but this isn't something we're trying to cage Charles with," Liz finished looking at Darcy coldly. She was positively fuming on the inside but she would not lose it.

Charles decided that it was time that he put his foot down. "What I think Fitz meant to say was that we are just caught off guard. Nothing that can't be worked out though," he added giving Darcy a hard look. "To be honest, I did expect something of the sort and I don't think it binds me more than I wanted to be. Do you think you could excuse us for a minute? I think Fitz and I could talk this over while we grab more coffee," he finished looking around at all the women around the room.

Charlotte nodded with a smile, glad that Charles was able to dissipate some of the tension and breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them.

"What. Was. That?" she asked Liz as soon as she saw the men leave the vicinity.

"I don't know! It's either he's an incompetent lawyer on top of being a total ass who's never done a book deal before or he's out to have his cake and eat it too. I just can't believe that he would try to question you about it Jane, especially when you two have been in here talking things out without a problem. What is his problem?" Liz fumed as she emptied half of her coffee tumbler in a single sip.

"I think Darcy might be as new to this as Charles is if I'm being honest. I guess he's a bit protective and doesn't want to see his friend be screwed over," Jane offered cautiously. "I have a feeling they'll come back and take the deal so let's just wait it out until they do. We haven't even hit half the contract yet, it's going to be a long meeting so you better hold it together Liz," Jane finished as she gave her sister's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Liz took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. She knew that Jane was right, she was just glad to have her and Charlotte. She couldn't believe that Darcy would try to pick a fight with her during a meeting but if it's a fight he wanted, he would definitely get one in the most passive aggressive manner.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Groveling but for whom?

"What the hell was that?!" Charles exclaimed the first chance he got once the elevator doors closed. "Were you trying to sabotage my deal or pick a fight in there?"

"I wasn't trying to do either of those things Charles," Darcy replied dryly. "I meant what I said, I don't think it's fair for you to be bound into future publications without knowing how this one is going to go. They're lowering their monetary intake in order to tie you down, what if you end up having issues with LL. Co?" he asked making Charles look at him.

"Is this about Jane? Are you being protective of me because of Jane?" Charles asked, staring straight into his friend's eyes.

"That too. Come on Charles, can you tell me you really haven't thought about it? I know you learned your lesson from the past, didn't you? Can you honestly tell me that you didn't picture being with Jane and the outcomes of that whether it's good or bad? Dating her? Sleeping with her? Working with her? Breaking up with her as a possibility?"

"Alright, I get it. You've made your point. So what do you suggest? Because I am not letting you go back there and bulldoze through the women in that room suggesting that it's your way or the high way. And Jane is a lawyer too. Plus, Liz looked like she wanted to run you over with something."

"I know that," mumbled Darcy as a response. He had seen the coldness in Liz's eyes as she fought him back. He hadn't met anyone that had stood up to him in that manner in a very long time. It made sense, he had turned his frustration to Jane and she didn't deserve it. That and it was her older sister he had questioned so he understood.

"I'll go in and apologize. And we'll talk about what can be done once we're in there. I'll make it right Charles, I will." Fitz sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. Black, bitter and scolding hot but it was enough to jolt him awake.

"You better apologize. And we'll talk after about Jane. You're not wrong but we need to head back in there and finish the contract," said Charles as he looked at Fitz. He took his nod as an answer and headed in the direction of the office building as Darcy followed.

By the time they reached the conference room again, they could tell the women had been talking. The minute the door opened, the whole room fell silent. 'Well this is going to be awkward,' thought Charles as he entered first.

He was just about to start talking when Darcy cleared his throat and beat him to the punch. "I apologize. It was all my fault and I was out of line. I'd like to continue talking this out if that's alright with the rest of you?" he offered cautiously as he looked at Jane and Charlotte before finally putting his gaze on Liz.

Liz tried to find her words but found that she couldn't. She was glad when she heard Jane pipe, "Sounds like a good start" as a response. They took their seats and Darcy gave Jane a quick look before offering his idea.

"I was thinking, we can compromise. I still think it's a bit too much to ask Charles to commit to LL. Co fully without knowing how the process for this book is going to go. So how about you keep 20% of the revenue instead of 15 and we sign to say that you'd get a non-binding first consideration for the following books? We can even stipulate that you'd be getting a list of reasons why we didn't stick with LL. Co if we don't so you can be reassured that it wasn't an unfair judgment. How does that sound?"

"I get where you're coming from. That sounds fair enough but I want an additional stipulation that if you end up not sticking with us, you hand over an additional 5%. Then we can be done fair and square in the worse case scenario. Fair enough?" countered Jane. Liz couldn't help but smirk at her older sister's skills. She was embarrassed enough that she couldn't find her words and she was glad at least one of them could still kick ass.

Charles agreed to the terms after confirming that the legality of it would be all worked out. From there, they agreed to take a break for lunch where Jane and Darcy would finish typing up the paperwork and they could return to sign.

Jane and Darcy made a call to get their lunches ordered in while Liz and Charlotte offered to take Charles out to their favorite burger place. And off they went.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Milkshakes and Burgers

"So.. what is so special about this burger place out of all the ones in New York?" asked Charles as he was being led out and away by Liz and Charlotte.

"You'll see once you sit down. You're not like a vegetarian or anything right?" Charlotte asked back.

"Not a chance. I guess I'm in for a surprise then," Charles replied as he smiled at the two women escorting him. His smile got even wider as he saw the retro sign of the burger joint. "Is this the point where you try to turn me into an American?" he chuckled.

"Something like that," Liz said with a smile. "Speaking of, your American accent is pretty on point. I don't think you need us to turn you American," she giggled as she opened the door to the restaurant.

"Thank you. I really went full out in order to stay anonymous with my writing career. It's helped me blend in pretty nicely here in the city although the slang sometimes gets me," Charles said as he held the door open for Charlotte to pass him and was awestruck at just how much of a 1950's vibe it was giving him. It had the black and white checkered floors, booths shaped like the classic cars and even the high top tables and chairs reminded you of the 1950's coke floats and milkshakes. He was smiling as he took it all in, before he even realized that he was.

They were seated promptly by a cheerful young woman who was just as friendly and sugary as the place itself. Charlotte noticed Charles' expression at the place and grinned. "You look like you're enjoying the place and you haven't even looked at the menu," she said.

"I can't help it, it's very colorful and well, what I imagine 1950's America to be. I've never seen anything quite like this but if it'll please you two ladies, I'll go ahead and look at the menu," Charles teased lightly in response. His eyebrows rose slightly as he skimmed through all the burger options. "Everything is in ounces and I don't even know where to begin. Any of you have recommendations or should I be following my heart and going for bacon?" he asked as he looked up at the women sitting in front of him.

"Well, you should know that you have to order a milkshake with whatever you choose to order for a start," Liz replied. "We love the classic french vanilla but you can try anything from chocolate and strawberry to a coke or root beer float if you'd prefer that," she continued. "As for the burger, I go for the classic cheeseburger with double the tomatoes while Charlotte over here," she grinned at her friend, "prefers the bacon burger."

"I do and if you're feeling the bacon, you really can't go wrong," Charlotte added.

Charles pondered briefly as he kept looking at the menu before saying wickedly, "Noted. I think I got my order ready."

Right on cue, the cheerful waitress came back with her cotton candy blue and pink apron to take their orders. "Hey guys, what can I get for you today?" she asked as she reached for her notepad and pen from the apron.

Liz spoke up first as she ordered her classic cheeseburger with extra tomatoes and extra pickles with the milkshake. Charlotte quickly took over and Charles mimicked Charlotte's order, only switching out the vanilla milkshake with a coke float.

Charles was surprised at how quickly the milkshakes came out and was thoroughly enjoying his float when Charlotte eased into her curiosity. "So.." she started. "How long have you and Darcy known each other? You guys seem pretty friendly and I don't think it's just professional friendship."

"Ah, Fitz and I go way back. We knew each other growing up and we've helped each other out during our teenage, university and adult lives. He's a little rough around the edges and always has been that way but he means well, I promise. He was being protective of me earlier, I hope you aren't put off by him too much," Charles finished as he looked up at Liz.

"I gathered he was being protective of you. I suppose we knew you two were close although we never thought you two were that close. Maybe that has something to do with how stoic he comes off as. Has he always been like that?" asked Liz in return.

"Oh yes. He's always come with that air of mystery. Even I can't tell what he's thinking half the time. Fitz is… unique. He's an amazing lawyer, an amazing big brother to his sister Georgie and a good friend. But he does like his solitude and I can't remember the last time he's dated anyone."

"He has a sister?" asked Charlotte.

"Oh yes. Georgie is the sweetest thing, I wish my sisters were half as sweet and good as she was. Fitz has a heart, trust me. He's too serious about his work and sometimes a bit emotionless but he's a good guy," Charles continued. "What about you three? You two definitely have a friendship going on and Jane too if I'm correct?"

"Hm… That's a loaded question. How do we know if we can trust you?" asked Liz as she looked at Charles with half seriousness and half mischief. "We tend to keep our private lives separated from our professional ones for a reason you see..." she trailed as she met Charles' eyes.

"Well, I told you more than Fitz would have ever allowed me to tell you so there's that for starters. You also have my real identity that's bound by contract but if you're really that concerned about the privacy, I could give Fitz a call and ask them to add it to the contract?"

"It's alright. I trust you and you're right. We spill any secrets and it's mutually assured destruction for both parties. That and we like you," she continued as she flashed a smile at Charlotte before continuing.

"Jane's my older sister," Liz began and Charles almost choked on his float.

"Are you serious? Wow, that's unexpected," he said as he motioned for Liz to continue.

"Mhm. I've heard that before. We don't look much alike and our personalities… Well, let's just say she and Charlotte have the soft touch with people that I seem to lack," she said dryly. "Charlotte over here is my best friend from our college days. We were roommates turned best friends and we've been lucky to have maintained out friendship while working together in the same city post graduation."

Charles nodded along as he processed the information Liz was giving him. "That explains a lot. You guys are really close knit and I think it'll help in the long run. The three of you work together and I work with Fitz. I think we could have a good team with this if you guys were up for it," he stated as the waitress arrived with their foods.

"I agree," replied Charlotte as she thought about what Charles had said. "You understand us and we understand your friendship with Darcy. As long as Darcy works with us, we'll work with you two through the process."

Charles nodded and they talked about how the publishing process usually worked in a less formal way as they finished their lunch.

As they headed back towards the office, all three of them felt relieved that they were able to work so many things through and Liz decided to give them her best efforts even when she was still annoyed at Darcy.


End file.
